People who work at Montessori schools usually have a favourite age group that they like to work with the most. Working with my little friends is one of my favourite things to do. People are often puzzled by this choice. Toddlers can be hard to deal with because they can be very angry and don’t always listen to us. I’d like to paint a new picture of the little boy.
Toddlers are completely focused on what is going on right now
A walk with a child can be fun. They notice the weeds growing from a gap in the pavement while we think about what we need to do and what we need to make for dinner.
Spending time with a young child helps us learn how to be present. In their minds, they are only thinking about the present moment at the moment.
As soon as they see something, toddlers get into it right away
Dr. Montessori said that toddlers under the age of six take in everything without any effort, like how a sponge takes in water. When she talked about this, she called it the mind that was always taking in information.
If we want to teach a one-year-old about grammar or sentence structure, we don’t have to sit down with them and do it. They already know a lot of words and how to write short sentences by the time they are three (and, for some, complicated paragraphs).
When you start learning a new language as an adult, it takes a lot of time and practise.
Toddlers have a lot of promise
Often, until we have our own child, we don’t know how capable they are at such a young age. Things that we see on our way to Grandma’s house might help them figure out we’re on our way. As soon as they see an elephant in a book, they’ll run right to a basket to find a toy elephant in there.
When we make our homes easier for our young children to get around, they do their jobs with excitement, skill, and joy. Spills need to be cleaned up, baby diapers need to be bought, garbage needs to be put in the trash, and they help us in the kitchen and like to dress themselves.
One day, a repairman came to our house to fix a thing. Whenever my daughter (then about two years old) passed him on her way to the bedroom and changed clothes, he looked at me and laughed. Clearly, he was shocked by how much she could do on her own.
Toddlers don’t have a worry in the world
As far as I can tell, no one under the age of two has a mean bone in their bodies! Seeing another child play with a toy might make them think, “I’d like to play with that toy right now.” They might then take the toy from the other child. There are a lot of ways they might act in order to get a reaction, like “Let’s drop this cup and see how my parents react.” Or, they might be angry because something didn’t go their way.
Because they aren’t bad people, vindictive, or resentful, though, They are just impulsive and act on their own impulses.
Toddlers don’t hold grudges against anyone
Consider a child who doesn’t want to leave the park when it’s time to go. They break down. As long as half an hour. Adults, on the other hand, can start the day on the wrong side of the bed and stay that way all day.
Toddlers are also very forgiving. There are times when we forget a promise we made or lose our temper. We also feel out of place. When we apologise to our toddler, we show them how to apologise to other people, and they are likely to give us a big hug or say something nice. When we build a strong foundation with our kids, they will look out for us and us for them.
Toddlers are real
They are honest and straightforward, which makes me enjoy spending time with them. Their sincerity makes you feel better. They say what they mean. They wear their heart on their sleeve.
Toddlers will point to someone on the bus and say, “That person doesn’t have any hair.” We might slump down in our seats while our child doesn’t show any signs of embarrassment at all.
That same directness makes them very friendly. It doesn’t look like there are any mind games, hidden plans, or politics going on.
They know how to be who they are. They have no doubts about who they are. They don’t judge other people. Take notes from them.
Please keep in mind that when I say “toddlers,” I’m talking about kids who are between the ages of 1 and 3 years old.
